Danse Macabre
by NortheasternWind
Summary: Cress and company reunite with Arche and soon find themselves investigating the source of a few mysterious attacks.  They have their suspicions, but there's a very important detail they're missing...
1. Jane Doe

You know it's time to start posting a fic when you really want to write the sequel. LOL. I've already got plunnies for fics set after this, so I'd better get a move on! This fic actually has a prequel set in the past and starring Klarth, Arche and Milard, but I wanted to write this one first T_T They're completely separate besides one thing, so that shouldn't be a problem. I use Cress and Klarth, in case that bothers anyone. Everyone will now behold my epic fail pacing skills.

**This fic contains things I do not own, crap description, and hastiness.** Enjoy anyway!

**_Jane Doe_**

_Thunk._

Cress' eyes blinked open blearily. He'd been just about to fall asleep, too... What was that? It was a very soft sound, like someone had... fallen on a pile of pillows or something. Or grass. There was a lot more grass around than there were pillows, so that had to be it. It sounded very muffled...

It came again, louder this time. The swordsman frowned, rubbing at his eyes as he sat up. It... seemed to be coming from the ground somehow. Well, he _was_ outside... He pulled his pillow away from its spot under his head and laid an ear on the ground.

What _was_ that? He wondered if it had actually sounded louder the second time, or if he had merely been more aware after hearing it once. It _had_ sounded muffled, kind of like someone had stomped on the ground somewhere nearby, or had set off an explosion somewhere far, far away.

The sound did not come again. Cress sighed, grabbing his pillow and laying his head on it again. Could have been some of the building materials falling, he guessed...

The swordsman fell asleep at once, and did not remember the odd sound in the morning.

xxx

"Man, it feels so weird to be going up this road again after being on it in the future." Chester hitched his quiver higher up on his back. "It's right back the way I remember it."

Mint tilted her head. "You two went up to Euclid before all this began?"

"Of course. Cress's got an uncle living up there, and it's the nearest town besides, so sometimes we'd come up and visit and just hang out."

"That was fun." Cress said, nodding. "And we used to take Ami, too..."

"Yeah... No matter how often we came, she used to get just as excited every single time." Chester's eyes slid over the road ahead of them. He still missed Ami, and Cress would still find him outside training late into the night, but now when he looked into the distance it was never with a scowl. He might never 'get over it,' as he would probably put it, but Cress was glad to see that Chester was doing his best to look back on the memories with a smile.

"She was little, so it probably looked much bigger to her than it did to us.

"Yeah."

Cress smiled, and turned his gaze ahead to follow Chester's. "I wonder what happened to my uncle. He wasn't there the last time I checked..."

"Who cares?" Chester snorted. "He sold you out to Mars. For all you know, he might not have been there because he was avoiding you."

"But he's still my uncle! And anyone would sell someone out if their life depended on it."

"_I_ wouldn't. _You_ wouldn't."

"Well, I guess we're not just 'anyone' anymore, then." The swordsman frowned. "You know, even before falling under Dhaos' spell, Mars had a hideout with soldiers and a dungeon... I wouldn't be surprised if my uncle was afraid of him."

"They used to be friends." Mint said. "Our parents, and Mars. Your uncle probably did know him because of that."

That was true. Cress hadn't paid very much attention to his parents' friends from outside the village, so for all he knew he might have met Mars before the village was destroyed. "I'll ask my aunt if he came back."

Chester sighed. "...You're the most forgiving person ever, you know that?" But he dropped the subject. "We gonna stop for the night in Euclid?"

"I don't know. Do you have money?"

"Nope. Klarth carried it all."

"Then it looks like we're camping out tonight, doesn't it?" Cress turned to Mint. "Is that alright with you, Mint?"

The priestess frowned. "You know, we're almost to Euclid, and I don't feel tired... We could probably keep going, if we wanted."

"But then we'll sleep all day tomorrow."

"Aha. Well, we'll see."

The three friends weren't actually headed to Euclid: it was only a stop on their way towards their true destination. The few weeks that had passed after arriving back in their time were spent in the small, beginning efforts to rebuild Toltus, but they weren't getting very far. Chester, tired and put out, had finally suggested that they go and visit Arche. They'd wondered if going to see her so soon after having watched her leave would be selfish of them, knowing she would have waited a hundred years already, and so they had held back before. But all three now agreed that they'd waited long enough. They wanted to see their friend again.

Cress wondered whether things would be the same when they finally met up with Arche again. Half-elf or not, a hundred years was a long time; people changed drastically in a tenth of that time, or less, and even with Klarth's company the witch will have spent much of it alone. How much will she have changed...? The others, Cress knew, were thinking the same thing, and while Chester was remarkably more energetic than he'd been when he suggested the trip the swordsman could see that he was worried. He didn't want a new Arche, who had been through a hundred years of trials without him. He wanted their Arche.

"Actually..." Chester frowned. "Did Arche ever say that she was still living in Bart's house?"

"...Um..." Cress rubbed his head. No, she hadn't.

"...Well, crap."

"She wouldn't have gone somewhere we couldn't find her." Mint said. "And Bart's house isn't all that far from Toltus and Euclid. She'd've wanted to stay as close to us and Klarth as possible."

"I dunno, sounds to me like she would travel a lot..."

"But she still has to have a home."

"We'll just have to hope she stayed." Cress said. "Even if she didn't, we'll find her eventually."

"It's easy to say that _now_..."

"Aw, cheer up."

"Hey, you see me complaining?"

Arche would probably say yes. Cress, on the other hand, just put an arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." he said. "We'll find her, and then we'll have a lot of catching up to do."

"You make that sound like fun. For all you know, she could have crazy stories about visiting us as little kids!"

Cress blinked. "...Uh oh. I hadn't thought of that."

Chester rolled his eyes. "She'd do it."

The swordsman grinned. "Yeah, probably."

"But I don't remember seeing her, so even if she did, it must have been when we were _really_ little..."

"Yeah... Or maybe she didn't at all."

"I'm pretty much convinced she did now."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do."

"No, you don't."

"Man, I hope she doesn't hold it over my head about how _cute_ I was..."

"Oh, you don't think you were cute?" Cress smiled. "Didn't my mom give you a haircut once and—"

"That never happened."

Cress laughed, both at the memory and at his friend's response. "If you say so."

Chester gave him a flat look that clearly meant this was never to leave his mouth again.

"C-Cress!"

The boys blinked, looking up from their small argument. "Mint? What's wrong?"

"Look!"

They looked at each other, and then followed the cleric's gaze to the road ahead of them. It didn't take long to find what Mint was referring to.

"O-Oh...!"

"Hey!" Cress broke out into a run. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Cress, wait!"

"I don't think he can hear you..."

"Cress!"

With his headstart Cress had reached the prone figure on the ground some time before his two companions. Even from a distance, he looked horrible: he was lying in a small puddle of his own blood, and his hair was singed and falling off his head. "Hey, are you oka-"

Cress turn the man over, and jumped back with a yelp. The face had been burned clean off, and the contents of his torso now spilled onto the grass beside him. Cress stumbled backwards, covering his mouth and nose.

"Cress, what's wro..."

But as Chester came up closer, there was no need to finish his question. He knelt down next to the body as his mouth fell open. "What... What the hell is this?"

"Oh, no..." Mint lowered herself next to Chester, also covering her mouth. "This... must have been very painful..."

"What's out here that could do something like that?" Cress asked. "There aren't a whole lot of fire monsters around here..."

"Then it must have been a person." Chester rose to his feet, eyes smoldering. "Probably a magic user."

"..."

"Of course it wasn't Arche, idiot. She was never _that_ much of a sadist."

"That's not what I was thinking!" Cress said. "It's just that, how many magic users are there all the way out here? Maybe they just had a... pet or something."

Mint frowned. "I hope it wasn't a person... I can't see any reason to put someone through something like this. Look, you can't even tell she's a woman..."

"It's a girl?" Cress asked, floored. He hurried forward and knelt down for a moment. Now he saw it: that curve in the torso that definitely didn't belong to any man. He hadn't even noticed the first time.

"...Anyone bring a shovel?" Chester's mouth thinned. "I hate to get rid of the body so soon without trying to look for her family, but I don't want to drag her with us and I don't want to leave her here for another bunch of travelers to just stumble across like this."

Cress shook his head. "No. We left them all back in Toltus." He rose to his feet. "Let's hurry on to Euclid. We can get a bunch of shovels and maybe find out if anyone knew her there."

Chester sighed. Selfish though it was, he had to hope that they wouldn't find any of the mysterious woman's loved ones. He hated being the bearer of bad news, and telling the family they'd found her charred and barely recognizable on a road somewhere was not a task he was looking forward to. And if they found them before they'd buried her, they would probably have to take the family to see her. That wouldn't be pretty. "Sounds like a plan. Come on, let's go."

Mint nodded, turning back to the body and folding her hands in prayer. "Rest in peace."

xxx

Euclid was almost just like they'd left it in the future. The whole city was made of stone, but rather than the dreary gloom of Midgard it was full of life and activity. That traveling circus was still here for some reason, playing in the square, and the usual ring of children stood before them giggling and clapping along. Cress smiled at them. It was a happy sight.

"So, uh, where could we find a shovel?" Chester asked. "I mean, from the blacksmith, sure, but you know anyone that would lend us a couple for free?"

Cress frowned. His aunt probably had a few, but he felt nervous about going to see her. "Let's go to my aunt's house. She lives in the northwest corner of town."

Mint nodded. "Yeah. And then you can ask her about your uncle."

"...Yeah."

Cress loved his uncle, just as he'd loved his father and mother and as he still loved his aunt. And he did forgive him for his betrayal, as he'd told Chester earlier. But there was no getting around the fact that the man had handed him over to a bloodthirsty knight that had already killed Cress' parents. Cress understood that he really couldn't judge until he'd been forced to make such a decision himself, but the heartbreak the younger Cress had felt at the time still lingered. The swordsman took a deep breath, and stood up straighter. If his uncle was still alive, they were going to talk about it. There was no use letting the subject hang over him like this.

The trio marched along the road silently, letting the sounds of the city wash over them until they stood at the foot of the northwesternmost house in town.

"Ah... Is this it?"

Cress nodded. "Yep. Here goes."

He walked up to the door and rapped on it twice. There was a short pause in which he bit his lip nervously, but after a moment the door slowly creaked open, and the familiar face of Cress' aunt Joanne lit up at the sight of him.

"Cress." Without waiting for him, Joanne pulled her nephew into a hug. "It's been far, far too long..."

"Aunt, it's only been a few weeks." Cress said, returning the hug anyway. Of course she wouldn't know about his long journey across time,so for her it would feel like no time at all. "But yeah. It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too." She released him, turning to his friends with a smile. "And you too, Chester. I know this sounds hasty and shallow, but I'm so very, very sorry about your sister... She was such a sweet little girl."

Chester responded with a strained smile. "Yeah."

"And who is this?" Joanne turned to Mint. "May I have your name, young lady?"

"Ah... This is Mint. Mint, this is my aunt Joanne."

"Hello." Mint said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. Cress, you never told me you had a girlfriend."

"Ah-!" Cress felt his cheeks go red. "W-Well, we only met when I escaped from Mars' hideout..."

"Hey look, he's admitting that she's his girlfriend."

"I didn't admit anything...!"

"Haha. It's alright, dear." Joanne opened the door and stood aside. "Well, come inside. You look famished."

"Ah... Sorry, but we ate already." Cress said, feeling rather guilty. He wanted to ask about his uncle, but somehow felt this wasn't the time for it. "Actually, we have one more errand to run before we barge in on you. Do you have a few shovels you could lend us?"

Aunt Joanne frowned. "There are a few in back, against the wall. Why do you need them?"

"...We found a body on the road on our way here."

"Oh, no... Do you know who it is?"

"Unfortunately, she's unrecognizable."

"That's horrible... The shovels should be somewhere around back." she said. "If you want, I can ask around for her family while you're gone."

"That would be nice of you." Mint said.

"It's no trouble. Are you sure they won't want her buried in the cemetery...?"

"We can't move her from where she is."

"That's too bad... Well, you should be on your way if you want to get back by nightfall." She smiled. "And if I finish in time, I'll have dinner waiting for you."

Cress sighed, smiling. "Thanks, Aunt. Well..." He turned to his friends. "Let's go find those shovels."

"Yeah."


	2. Heart to Heart

**This chapter contains things I do not own, exposition, and a lot of talking.** Enjoy!

**_Heart To Heart_**

"Hey, Aunt!" Cress knocked on the door twice and, finding it unlocked, pushed it open. "Aunt, we're back."

The sun had just about set over the horizon by now, its dying light casting its final rays over the clouds and treetops. Chester had gone around back to put the shovels back where they'd found them, and at the moment only Mint stood by Cress' side.

"Aunt, you home?"

"Yes, I'm coming." Cress' aunt shuffled into view, smiling at the sight of him. "Welcome back. Was it a lot of work...?"

"Not really." Cress stepped inside and gestured for Mint to follow. "I mean, it took a while, but... Chester's dug a lot of graves before..."

Joanne sobered. "I imagine he has... Come inside, all of you. I have dinner ready."

It wasn't more than a few seconds before Chester joined them in the kitchen, rubbing his hands free of dirt. "Hate to dirty up your sink— _man_, that smells delicious— hate to dirty up your sink, Ma'am, but can I wash my hands? You can barely see the skin under all this."

"Please do. We wouldn't want dirt in your food."

"Thanks."

Mint sat down at the table. "Um... Mrs. Albane..."

"Please, just call me Joanne. Or Ma'am, if you insist on being polite"

"Thank you. Ma'am, did you find the woman's family...?"

Aunt Joanne shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. Everyone in own seems to be accounted for, which can only mean she was from somewhere else. Venezia, perhaps..."

"So you don't even have a name?" Mint asked, crestfallen.

"No. I'm sorry."

Cress sighed. "It felt wrong... Burying her without even knowing her name. We didn't even have a headstone to carve it into if we did have one."

"Yeah, we ended up putting a wooden cross there instead." Chester finished washing off his hands and plopped down into a nearby chair. "I felt kinda guilty... I wanted to bury her in town, but if you'd seen her you'd know there was no way we could've gotten her anywhere in one piece."

"And if we hadn't buried her, the monsters would have eaten her or dragged her away." Mint said. "So that was really all we could do..."

"Where did you bury her?"

"Right by the road, where we found her. Even if we never find her family, at least she'll always have visitors."

Aunt Joanne smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you. I'm sure she would be grateful."

Cress leaned back in his chair. "I still wonder where she came from, and what attacked her... It didn't really look like something a person would do."

"Yeah, her stomach was lying around all over the place."

"Okay, boys. This is no longer dinner conversation." Aunt Joanne picked a skillet up off the stove. "Now you eat up before you lose your appetite! I worked hard on this, you know."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

"Yeah, thanks Aunt." Cress grinned. "Chicken again?"

"What's wrong with chicken?"

"Absolutely nothing." Chester said, scooting his chair forward. "Stop complaining, Cress."

"Hey, I'm not complaining! You're the one taking advantage of my aunt's hospitality."

"What are you talking about? This is practically my house, too."

"No arguing at the table, boys." Aunt Joanne said, as Mint laughed into her hand. Cress smiled at her and dug into his food, completely at ease for the moment.

xxx

That night drifted in clear and calm, and the summer breeze blew in softly through the open window. The swordsman sat beside it in a pair of spare pajamas he'd found in an old dresser in the spare room. They were a little small, and the pants barely went down to his ankles, but the fabric was still soft and supple and brought back fond memories of a childhood long gone. Cress had mostly slept in his armor during his travels, as his nightclothes had been lost during the attack on Toltus. Wearing these now made him feel less like the Eternal Swordsman and more like just Cress again. It was a nice feeling.

The swordsman, while sleepy and full of food, had come outside after finding himself unable to sleep. It was just another one of those nights— the events of the day weren't particularly bothering him, but he'd laid there for ages and ages and had not fallen asleep. When his mind began to drift he knew he would not be sleeping for a while, and so he'd made his way out here and opened a window. His headband lay on the table instead of on his head, for once, and the soft breeze felt nice in his hair.

"Cress?"

Cress started, turning the chair around with a loud _scrape_. "Oh... Aunt."

Aunt Joanne pulled another chair from the nearby table and lowered herself into it. "It's a beautiful night out, isn't it?"

Cress nodded. "Yeah. The wind feels really good."

"I can hear you yawning out here, you know." she said with a smile. "You must be tired, after all the hard work you've done today."

"I'm kinda sleepy, yeah, but not very tired. I mean, it wasn't that hard."

"You've become so strong, Cress... It's only been a couple of months since Miguel and Maria died, but you look a hundred years older."

"Ah..." Cress shifted uncomfortably. He had no idea how he was going to explain to his aunt that it had been much longer than 'a couple of months' since the attack for him, and he was beginning to think it would be easier not to tell her at all. But after everything she'd done for him his entire life, that would be unfair. "I've... been busy."

"Out getting revenge?" she asked sadly. Cress blinked, and then sighed.

"Yeah, pretty much. It didn't feel as good as I thought it would, really."

"That's usually how revenge works. Cress..." She smiled. "Look at you. I think your parents would be very proud of you, if they could see how much you've grown."

"Th-thank you." He paused. "Aunt... Did you know about my parents and Dhaos?"

Now it was his aunt's turn to sigh. "Yes, I knew. Everyone knew about your parents and Dhaos, but after enough time had passed no one particularly cared. They were going to tell you eventually, but..."

"Did they ever talk about Dhaos?" Cress asked. "Did they ever say anything about what he was like, or what he said, or what kind of mood he was in when they found him?"

"Hm... No, I don't recall." Aunt Joanne frowned. "They did say that he definitely had no idea they were waiting for him, but that was it. I never heard anything else."

Cress' jaw tightened. Ever since the conclusion of his conflict against the Demon King, Cress wondered whether his parents had ever put any thought to Dhaos' motives, or felt any sympathy for the man they'd helped seal away. Even without knowing Dhaos' true motives, Cress' parents must have been old enough to remember that every person had a story, right? It was unlikely they'd felt any remorse, but he had to hope they'd felt no pride in Dhaos' defeat.

"Cress... You don't have your father's pendant anymore."

Cress started, and reflexively looked down as though verifying the truth of his aunt's words. "Uh... No, I don't. Mars took it away, and it was destroyed."

"He released Dhaos, didn't he."

Cress stiffened, and then sighed. "Yeah. He did."

"And you were there?"

"Yeah..."

"Were you scared?"

Cress paused, thinking. Had he been scared, back when everything began? It had been so long ago that he couldn't remember.

"...Not really." he said. "That was the first time I'd ever even heard of Dhaos. The moment he got out, he explained that he'd been brainwashing Mars or something and lasered him to death... I didn't really understand the danger because there was no body, I guess."

"And because you were too angry about your parents to truly care."

"Yeah, that too." Cress sighed. "Morrison— Trinicus D. Morrison, do you know him? He was a friend of Mom and Dad's— he got the picture, though. He, uh... sent me and Mint into the past."

Very much to Cress' relief, the only indication of skepticism his aunt made was a brief raising of her eyebrow. "What about Chester? Didn't he go with you?"

"Ah... He stayed behind to hold Dhaos off."

Joanne nodded. "I see. I thought something had changed. Physically, you look a little older than he does."

"Uh, well... We went back a hundred years, to the time when Dhaos first became the Demon King. We didn't stay for a year or anything, but it was a while."

"You came back for him though, didn't you?"

"Yep. With reinforcements." Cress laughed. "We knocked Dhaos around so hard the whole mountain almost fell on us. He didn't look like he could move when we left him, but he must have time-jumped again after we left. A messenger from the future showed up and came to get us to fight him again."

"Ah. So you two ended up going on an adventure together after all."

"Of course! He wouldn't let me leave him behind. He worked so hard that I think we're mentally the same age anyway."

Aunt Joanne gave a wan smile. "Yes... I never knew him very well, but I do know he loved his sister. In fact, I think having to raise her on his own made him grow up faster than you did."

"Yeah..." Before everything had started, Cress had always found himself rather clueless compared to Chester. The archer was rougher and tended to be rather immature, but there had always been something about him that Cress envied. And after returning from the past, Cress was rather put off to find that he'd left his best friend behind. "He's not angry anymore, you know. We all still lose sleep over it, but... I think he feels he's done Ami justice. I'm glad, too. I don't know what I'd do if he just spent the rest of his life hating like that..."

"He's hot-headed," she agreed, "but he knows better than to hold grudges forever. He's grown, just like you have."

"Mm-hm..."

"...So." Aunt Joanne leaned back in her chair. "I guess I'd be correct in assuming you did defeat Dhaos?"

"...Yeah."

"Then, what about you?" She frowned. "Do you still hate Mars and Dhaos, Cress?"

Cress sighed, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "Not really. I mean, I never really got to settle things with Mars, so even though I know he was being controlled I still don't think much of him. But Dhaos... A lot's happened." he said, opening his eyes to look at her. "You wouldn't really get it unless you came with us. The truth is that Dhaos was just like me— crap decision-making skills and everything."

His aunt gave him a reproachful look. "Now, Cress. You've always made good decisions."

"About small things, and when I'm not angry." he said. "I don't spend a whole lot of time angry, so a lot of people say I always choose the right thing. But that's not always true. Just like how people say Dhaos is evil just because he spends most of his time angry."

"Do you regret killing him, Cress?"

"No. Like I said, his decision-making skills needed work. But..." He sighed. "He wasn't such a bad guy when you ignored all that... You couldn't, of course, but... I can't really tell you. It would take forever to explain out loud."

Cress' aunt spent a few moments looking at him with sad eyes.

"I haven't been with you on your journey." she said. "And I am not your mother. I'm only your aunt, that you got to see sometimes on your trips to town. If you don't feel comfortable talking to me about it, you don't have to."

"I'm sorry, Aunt."

"No, it's okay. It's what I get for not being there for you when you needed a shoulder to lean on. I'm just glad you have so many friends..." She leaned forward. "Promise me you'll make good use of them. Don't ever let yourself feel as though you're alone in this world."

"Don't worry. I won't."

"Good. And never forget, Cress: I'm still here. Even though I'm not the closest person to your heart, and our relation is only through your parents, and even though I have never been there for you during your life at home, remember that you still have family here. If you ever need a roof over your head, I'll take you in no matter what."

"Ah... Thank you, Aunt..." Cress pursed his lips. "So... You believe me about the time-traveling thing?"

His aunt laughed. "It's pretty difficult to wrap my head around, but you don't seem to be lying. I'll take you at your word. I don't think I'll ever understand, so don't bother trying to explain it to me."

"Ha. Thanks. A-And, Aunt..."

Cress hated to bring this up now, but if he kept putting it off he would never learn.

"Whatever happened to Uncle Olson...?"

To Cress' chagrin, the smile melted right off his aunt's face. "He'd already disappeared since you last visited, hadn't he?"

"Yeah... He's not back yet?"

"...I think he's dead, Cress." she said, for once looking her age. "He never came home one day, and I never saw him again... He wouldn't leave me alone like that of his own free will."

"O-Oh." Cress looked away. He'd probably been hunted down, captured and killed by Mars' men, either as insurance against an information leak or simply because Mars had a grim sense of humor. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright." His aunt gave him a shallow smile. "We were going to be separated soon anyway, so don't feel too sorry for me. I can handle it."

Cress let his gaze wander out the open window. His aunt had no idea that her husband had handed him over to Mars all that time ago. But betrayed and upset though he was, the swordsman just couldn't bring himself to tell her: like he'd said to Chester earlier that day, anyone would have done it to save their hometown. The needs of the many would always outweigh the needs of the few, no matter how much he didn't like it. A traitor his uncle may be, but a bad person he certainly was not, and Cress' aunt didn't need a load like that on her shoulders. Especially in light of his death.

_I'm sorry, Uncle... We never got to sort things out._

"You look tired, Cress." Aunt Joanne said finally, after a long silence. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? Chester says you three are leaving Euclid early tomorrow."

"Yeah, we are." Cress stood up; his limbs felt much heavier than they had when he'd come out here. "We're going to see a friend. We've kept her waiting a while."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." Aunt Joanne stood up with him, pulling him into a hug. "Ah, Cress... It's so good to have you back."

Cress smiled, returning the embrace. "Yeah... It's good to be home again."


End file.
